Daddy's Princess
by HandsUpPunk08
Summary: Just a fluffy bit. Huddy plus Rachel. Set after Mayfield. Oneshot. Disclaimer--No, they're not mine. Unfortunately.


_AN--Just a little drabble that was floating around in my brain. Hope you enjoy. :)_

**Daddy's Princess**

It was approaching eight in the evening and House was still here. In his office for the third day in a row. His body was riddled with tension and his eyes were proof of his sleeplessness. A breakthrough in this case would be a relief. He had only seen Cuddy a handful of times in passing and Rachel hadn't seen him for days. God, how he missed being home in the evenings. This office was making his mood as dark as it had constantly been before Mayfield.

"What about auto-immune?" Foreman stated, jolting House's head back to the present.

House grumbled and replied with frustration evident in his voice. "Can someone bring an original idea to the table, please?" He ran a hand over his exhausted face, sighing heavily.

The team continued to bicker and brainstorm about symptoms and their possible links to various diseases and disorders. House interjected here and there, informing them of how idiotic their notions were. He tried to keep his mind focused on the medicine instead of the memories that were randomly distracting him. Between the nagging pain in his leg, his lack of sleep and the fact that he would rather be at home getting Rachel ready for bed, his concentration was limited. This effort to direct his attention correctly was fairly successful until he heard the pitter-patter of a tiny pair of shoes hitting the floor of the corridor in a familiar pattern. A smile stretched itself across his usually stern face as he heard Cuddy's motherly tone. "Rachel, Mommy asked you to walk."

The petite toddler soon turned the corner, clad in a pink pair of pajamas and sneakers, and pressed her nose against the glass door of House's office, her eyes lighting up when she saw him. Cuddy was right behind her and opened the door for her, smiling as Rachel took off in the direction of House, who was seated casually behind his desk.

"Daddy!" She called out to him immediately and stretched her arms out for him when she reached his chair, grinning. He matched her grin with his own crooked one and scooped her up into his arms, holding her to him naturally as he continued to involve himself in the DDX with his team. After a momentary pause, Thirteen continued on with her own theory, a slight smile on her face.

"We haven't really looked at cancer. It would explain why the white count is still low."

Cuddy placed a brown paper bag containing House's dinner, his usual reuben, on his desk, her hands crossed over her chest as she watched her daughter. Rachel's hands pawed at House's stubbled cheeks, waiting in an almost patient manner for the attention of her father figure. House was now more relaxed in their presence and lost in the differential for a moment.

He nodded in response to the conclusion of his own thoughts and spoke. "Foreman, do an LP and see that it's still not auto-immune. Then, Thirteen, run another MRI and see if anything has changed. Taub, hang a bag to keep her hydrated and thumb through the medical history again to be sure that we didn't miss anything there."

The eyes of his team were fixed on the two year old who rested in the lap of their boss, who was now fiddling with the buttons on the shirt House wore. He rolled his eyes at them.

"Yes, she's adorable. Now GO!" He pointed towards the door, unable to keep the smirk off of his face. They were grinning as they hurried out of the office to do his bidding.

House then looked down to meet Rachel's eyes, which were peering up at him with interest. He grinned and hugged her to his chest, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "Hey, princess!" She beamed up at him in adoration, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Cuddy smiled softly at the scene before her, leaning against his desk. "She's been asking for you and I know you haven't eaten much today. We decided to drop by before bedtime."

He nodded in response to Cuddy, Rachel giggling some as House playfully bounced her on his good leg. "Thanks, I needed to see my two favorite girls." He winked up at Cuddy before attacking Rachel in a tickling frenzy. The child shrieked in a fit of laughter, her face reddening as she swatted at his hands.

"Stop it, Daddy!" She writhed in his arms and squealed more in delight, becoming breathless in the entertaining struggle against his hands.

Unable to keep the pleased look from her face, Cuddy spoke in faux annoyance. "Greg, don't get her wound up this late..."

House was laughing at this point too as he rubbed his beard against Rachel's chin, tickling her with it and a combination of kisses. "Aw, Mommy is no fun." He stopped pestering her and stood, holding the giddy little girl on his hip and walking over to Cuddy. "Thanks for bringing her." House cupped Cuddy's cheek as he planted a sweet, loving kiss on her lips. One that didn't last nearly as long as he could have liked. "Mmm, don't wait up..."

She gave him another kiss, never tiring of the feel of his lips on hers. "Call if you need me. And behave." Cuddy smiled as she reached her hands out towards their daughter. "C'mon sweetie, it's almost your bedtime."

House kissed Rachel's cheek before passing her off to Cuddy. "G'night, Rachel."

"Ni-night, Daddy." She waved at him over her mother's shoulder as they walked out the door.

He smiled after them. Once, his life had revolved around Vicodin and his heart had been made of stone. Now they were his life and they held his whole, beating heart in their hands.


End file.
